Bath Stone Quarry Railways 1795 | 1830 David Pollard Lntroduction Conkwell
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BIAS JOURNAL 15 1982 Bath stone quarry railways 1795 | 1830 David Pollard lntroduction Conkwell There were three quite separate and distinct phases in the From fragmentary references in the Kennet and Avon Canal development of Bath stone quarry railways, the first being records it is apparent that the canal company decided by the represented by Ralph Allen's early wooden lines on Hampton autumn of 1799 to open a quarry at Conkwell in Winsley Down and the Combe Down carriage way of 1731-64 parish. Stone was being supplied from this quarry during September 1800 and the inclined plane was first mentioned The second phase which is the subject of this article spans the on the 3 October 1800. It is probable that the railway years from 1795 - 1830. Nationally this was a period of opened in September, for in October James Mcllquham was rapid railway evolution, a situation which was reproduced paid an allowance of £210 for ‘Iron Rails, Rope &c at locally. The five quarry railways used no less than four Dundas Aqueduct’ and one Jackson received £37.7.0 different types of track to achieve the common purpose of [£37.35] ‘for Timber for railroad'.‘ delivering stone to canal-side wharves. All had to overcome very steep gradients which fortunately favoured loaded By the summer of 1802 the railway must have been in an wagons and the method used in four instances was the unsatisfactory condition, as numerous payments for repairs self-acting or balanced inclined plane (see sketch). are recorded:- 1802 May 21st To Wm Deverell - repairing and relaying the railroad... £ 50.14.10 [£50.74] 1802 May 21st To Thos Evans - repairing and relaying Railroad... £195. 0. 0 1802 July 1st A new Rope . .for the use of the inclined plane at Conkwell quarry. £ 87.15, 6 [£87.77] (supplied by Mr Ford of Beckington) 1802 Aug 13th pd Thos Evans in full for framing 4 Waggons . .. £ 26. 0. 0 1802 Sept 10th pd Thos Powell & Jn Lowe for carpenters work on railroad Conquil Quarry £ 7.19. 4½ £7.96 2 Nattes described the railway in his book on Bath published in 18063; it probably continued in use until shortly before November 1812, when ‘the wood sleepers, Rope &c belonging to Conkwell Quarry’ were sold to Patrick Byrne for £175.0.0 4 The inclined plane which was of double track began at a wharf at the east end of Dundas Aqueduct (ST 786.625). Its route can be easily followed rising steeply up the valley side, mainly in a shallow cutting, still lined in places with dry-stone walling. Some recently-discovered broken rails are of the cast-iron bar type with interlocking ends (see drawing), which would have been spiked directly to wooden sleepers. Rails of this type were first used by Thomas Dadford Junior on the Beaufort and Blaenavon line of 1792-93 5. Several colliery railways to the north of Paulton basin also used similar rails, but laid on stone sleeper blocks. Bath stone railways made after the 1830s belong to the third phase of development, and were characterised by a uniform The incline top (ST 790 624) lies about 325 ft above the track gauge of 2 ft 5½ ins, wrought~iron and steel rails and canal and 545 yards from it and immediately to the east of by standardised rolling stock. These true narrow gauge it is the large open quarry. Unfortunately the working faces railways were used both for internal quarry transport as have been obscured by tipping and it is impossible to know if well as carrying stone to the Great Western Railway. there were underground headings. In addition to freestone Page No.13 BIAS JOURNAL 15 1982 this quarry would have supplied large amounts of rag or rubble stone. was long derelict by 1893, when a visitor noted ‘very old- fashioned rails on an inclined plane running from the Murhill quarries down the hill'15 On the 1st April 1803 the Canal Western Sub-Committee These rails remain in situ on the wharf, albeit buried and placed a contract ‘for a wooden railroad for the new stone scheduled as an ancient monument. They are of cast iron quarry at Murhill to be laid from thence to the canal’ An ‘I’ section, fish-belly type, that is, with the rail deeper at agreement was made with Edward Edge and Thomas Evans mid-span. Fish-bellied rails were in use at Newcastle by to find the timber and lay the railroad, for which they 1798, the ‘I’ section feature dates from 1813-15, when received payments totalling £350 at various dates between the Jessops introduced it on the Belvoir Castle line 16 . October 1803 and May 1804 6. No further mention of the The Murhill rails also conform to Losh and Stephenson's wooden railway has been found. Both quarry and wharf Patent of 1816 17, in that the ends of adjoining rails overlap were occupied by Ambrose and John Heal, from 1811 each other and are pin-jointed through the supporting cast- until 1825, who supplied stone to Devizes New Gaol iron chairs. The chairs are fixed to stone sleeper blocks by (1811 - 1814)7,also to Bath and London8 iron studs set in lead-filled holes (see drawing). The track gauge now varies between 48 ins and 49¾ ins. Birkenshaw From September 1825, Messrs Dunkin and Baber leased wrought-iron rails rapidly superseded those of cast-iron the wharf and began to work the quarry. However, during the late 1820s, thus Murhill is a good example of the Dunkin complained to the Canal Sub-Committee that he final phase of cast-iron railway. had no right of way to the wharf, although the road crossed land in his possession9. Meanwhile, because of the fear of The track can be followed, leaving the wharf (ST 706607) land-slips into the canal, the management committee over a very worn turnout onto a curved length of single opposed the working of the quarry until an engineer of track. From here up to Murhill Lane the route, still known eminence could be consulted. Mr Jessop, the engineer, as the ‘Trolley Road’, is covered by a tarmacadam surface. reported by December 1825 that there would be no danger Beyond the lane, in the grounds of Winsley Hospital, is a to the canal if the line of the projected road was varied to short level section and a slight change of direction pass through land belonging to James Byfield, and the suggesting that the railway had two separate inclined accumulation of rubble prevented. Byfield's land was planes. The stone sawmill, steam engine and a limekiln were bought in 1826 and a new road [railway?] laid down10. located at this point, and coal was brought up the incline A steam engine and machinery to cut and work the stone for these. Stone sleeper blocks are still visible on the upper to ‘any dimensions’ was installed in 183511. James Baber incline to the edge of the quarry (ST 794 608), almost 300 ft occupied the quarry and railway until 185712 . In 1858 above the canal and about 330 yards from it18. The floor James Taylor was the tenant13. The quarry closed and of the quarry is now occupied by Winsley Hospital. re-opened at least twice between 1863 and 187414 but Page No.14 BIAS JOURNAL 15 1982 Hampton Down The Bath Chronicle of 23 June 1808 advertised for ‘Any Person or Persons willing to contract to make an inclined Plane road from Bathampton Quarries to the Kennet and Avon Canal . are desired to send their proposals (sealed up) to Mr Bennett, engineer, St James Parade, Bath’. In March 1809 the Canal Western Sub-Committee objected to the site of the proposed wharf, and notice was given to the Bathampton Stone Company to desist from making the wharf in the said situation 19. However, the Bath Guide of 1810 - 1811 noted ‘the immense quantities of stone conveyed by the inclined plane from the quarries of Messrs Bowsher & Co to the canal’. In 1826 or 27 it was visited by two Prussian mining engineers, von Oeynhausen and von Dechen, who wrote: there is a self-actihg plane with a length of 2,658 feet to the Avon Canal upon which the stone is conveyed further. This plane has two divisions, the upper one, 1,658 ft long is not of uniform slope, it is very little near the top, up to 10 degrees in the middle, and at the bottom is both inclined and curved. The Lower division has a uniform inclination of about 5 degrees. The total perpendicular height is 480 ft to 500 ft. The whole length is traversed by a double cast-iron tramroad. Crossing switches are provided, serving both lines at the quarry, for each of the brake arrangements, and below at the canal. Each track has a gauge of 3ft 4in, and they lie the mine distance from one another. Page No.15 BIAS JOURNAL 15 1982 The rails are 2½ feet long, 3½ in wide and 5/8 in thick. The flange is 2½ in high, & 7/l2 in wide at the bottom. On the underside close to the outer edge, is an arc-shaped strengthening rib l in high in the middle and tapering to nothing. The ends of the rails are ¾ in thick, and are provided with a small addition at the inner side. They have a notch whereby the rails two and two together, are fixed by an iron spike with a square pyramidal head.